The present invention relates to an elevator apparatus, and it relates, in particular, to an elevator apparatus, wherein a plural number of elevators are installed within one (1) elevating passage, juxtaposing with each other.
Conventionally, an example is already known of an elevator apparatus, in which two (2) or more sets if elevators are installed juxtaposing with each other, such as, in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-351537, for example. With such the elevator apparatus as described in this publication, for the purpose of improving space efficiency of a building, a building wall is provided between the doorways of the two (2) elevators, and elevator control units for each thereof are provided within that building wall.
With such the elevator apparatus as described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No.2000-351537 mentioned above, for the purpose of reducing a space for installing the elevators, an attention is paid, in particular, on a space for installing the control units of the elevators which are provide juxtaposing with each other. However, with the elevators of high-lift or high-speed, it is desired to reduce, not only the space for installing the control units therein, but also to reduce the space for installing a hoist, which accordingly increases the volume thereof, but in this publication is not paid sufficient consideration on that aspect.
Also, when equipments other than the elevator cars are disposed conventionally, there is a possibility that the juxtaposing elevator cars interfere with each other, in particular, on the door pockets thereof. In the elevator apparatus described in the publication mentioned above, since there is ascertained an enough space for installing the juxtaposing elevators therein, so that each of the elevators operates independently, then no such the drawback will occurs on the doors of the cars. However, the space for installing the elevators must be wider for it.
On a while, when installing the hoists for the elevators, a thin-type hoist having a disk-like motor is mounted on a wall surface of the elevating passage, or a cylinder-like motor is installed at a top or a bottom of the elevating passage. For this reason, with the method of installing the hoists on the wall surface of the elevating passage, the elevating passage must be increased in the cross-section of an area thereof if the hoist is large in the volume thereof. While, with the method of installing the hoist on the bottom of the elevating passage, there is necessity of providing pulleys for hanging up the cars by means of a rope at the top of the elevating passage, as well as, suspending the rope from the hoist to the pulley at the top. As a result of this, if the lift is higher, the length of the rope to be suspended around is also longer, and therefore it brings bout a vibration of the car, which is caused due to plasticity of the rope. With the elevator of high-lift or high-speed, from the reason mentioned above, the hoists are mounted directly within a top portion of the elevating passage, or within a machine room which is provided separately from the elevating passage, however it is desired to make the machine room small.